GENEVA – Longtime Geneva resident Steve Andersson on Thursday announced his bid to represent the 65th District in the March 2014 Republican primary.

Andersson who is serving his second term as the Geneva Public Library board treasurer, made the announcement in front of the Kane County Courthouse in Geneva. He is seeking the seat after current State Rep. Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia, announced that he will not seek re-election.

In addressing his supporters Thursday, Andersson outlined his stance on key statewide issues, which included solving the pension crisis, drawing more businesses to Illinois and establishing term limits for politicians.

To solve the state's underfunded pension system, he suggested matching the retirement age for pension holders to that of Social Security and eliminating the automatic 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment. He said he also wants to eliminate the compounding of the cost-of-living adjustment. New employees, he said, should switch from a defined benefits system to a defined contribution system.

He said elected positions should have term limits.

"Elected positions should be held only for a reasonable period of time," he said. "They should not become permanent careers. We need to avoid the big government mindset."

As far as making the state more business friendly, Andersson suggested that a state with lower taxes, a balanced budget, a working pension system and flexible planning will entice businesses.

Andersson, 49, is a partner with the law firm of Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi and Andersson, P.C., out of Aurora. Within that firm, he has represented numerous municipalities, including Sugar Grove, Montgomery and Hinckley. He is married with two children.

He said the library board is the only other public office he has held, aside from being a precinct committeeman. He said he brings a "reasonable" approach to government and hopes to help solve problems by simply not spending more than the state takes in.

"This campaign is not about me. It's about an idea and a vision. An idea, I believe most people would agree with, which is simply to be reasonable – to use reason, logic, ethics and good judgment in government," he said during his speech. "It is not to engage in bitter partisan bickering. It is not about extreme political views."